Meylisah was the daughter of a past maid and best friend of Hurrem sultan. When her parents tragically died she was taken under Hurrem sultan's wing to be cared for. Not really adopted for it was forbidden in Islam but she was just glad to have a ro...
"Anything else Sultanim?" Handan asked as she pulled a blanket over Murad in his small bed that was beside mine.
"No thank you, go sleep" I smiled at her. She bowed and left the room. I sighed tiredly and laid down in my bed pulling the blanket up and over my shoulder.
Suddenly a sound made me jump awake but I stayed laid in bed, it's probably the agha who was changing the wood in the chimney, it still being March. But for some reason sleep couldn't come back to me. I heard the person getting closer and closer to the bed and it was definitely not the steps of a man. I opened only one eye and watched as a woman kneeled down beside Murad's bed and caressed his small head.
"You're so unlucky to have a mother like Meylisah" the woman whispered before getting back up. This time she walked over to my bed and climbed up on it. I sat up defensively only to be met with a shock, Nurbanu herself was sitting on my bed.
"Weren't you executed yesterday?" I asked shocked. How can a dead person be here? She's definitely not part of my conscience because I don't feel an ounce of guilt for her death.
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"No, not me but Afife Hatun, port Afife Hatun" she smirked at me like the she-devil that she is and known for.
"It's time to set the records right, you killed my son and I will kill you" she hissed lunging at me, she used my moment of shock to reach for my neck and wrap her hands around my neck pushing me back on my back and she started choking me.
"If you haven't killed my son then he would have had the name Murad" she hissed with venom in her voice. I tried to pry her hands off of my neck but she wouldn't budge.
"When you die I will reveal myself to Selim and he will fall in love with me and give me Murad to raise and I will make him hate you with passion," she said cackling like a madwoman and at this moment I feared this mad woman. I tried pushing her off but it wouldn't work at all she was like a wall unmoving.
Suddenly she was pulled off of me and I can finally take a breath of air and coughs pulled themselves forcefully out of my weak body. I looked at the person who pulled Nurbanu off of me to find Handan standing there with broken glass at her feet, she had pulled Nurbanu off of me and broke a vase over her head to knock her out.
"You knew she was coming, that's why you've been closed off," I said after regaining myself and stopped coughing. I pushed the covers off of me and slid to the end of the bed and put my slippers on and stood up minding the glass on the floor.
"I didn't want her to hurt you, you've been very nice to me" she sobbed kneeling down at my feet and holding on to my sleeping gown.
"Please don't kill me" she whimpered hugging my leg. I placed a hand under her chin and pulled her up to stand up in front of me.
"We will create a lie to tell Selim and the guards, a lie that doesn't include your betrayal," I said patting her shoulder. She sighed in relief and whipped her face and hugged me tightly.
"Go call the guards" I ordered. She nodded and ran out of the room. I walked over to Murad and picked him up from his bed, I have no idea how he didn't wake up especially after a while vase broke over someone's head.
In a matter of minutes, I was moved to Selim's room wrapped in a robe and a headscarf over my head and I refused to let go of Murad in fear that Nurbanu and another trick up her sleeve if her first plan didn't work. Selim was sat beside me rubbing up and down my arms trying to calm me down even though it seemed he was the one who need comfort more than I did.
"I'm fine, Selim" I whispered as Davud Pasha interrogated Handan who was shaking horribly. She looked at me and I gave her a smile to show her that I was not mad at her, Allah alone knows what Nurbanu did for the poor girl to be planted in my room.
"You are not, can't you see the hand marks on your neck," Selim said loudly touching the purple bruises on my neck which caused me to wince in pain.
"I'm sorry" he whispered in my ear before placing a kiss on my forehead. He reached over and took Murad from my arms much to my dismay.
"He will be fine, I will triple the guards at the door" Selim promised getting up and handing Murad to Emira Kalfa who smiled at me before leaving the room.
"Are you sure you're okay, Sultanjm?" Esma Hatun asked? The woman who raised me seemed even more worried than Selim if that was possible.
"I'm fine, I just want this horrid night to be over" I answered burying my face in my hands. Selim placed a comforting hand on my shoulder which helped a little with the stress I was feeling right now.
"That's enough, everyone leave, we will continue tomorrow" Selim ordered. Davud, Handan, and Esma left the room leaving me and Selim alone.
"Come on" Selim pulled me off the couch and over to his bed and pushed me softly under the covers before joining me. He wrapped his arms around me pulling me closer to his body. I laid my head on his chest and wrapped my arm around him hugging him tightly and he also wrapped the arm under me around my shoulders and the over above around my waist.
"Don't worry, I will protect you for the rest of the night" he promised placing a kiss on my forehead. I sighed finally relaxing a little and sleep overtook my exhausted body.
